A man convicted of killing his father and dumping his body in North Carolina has lost an appeal and request for a new trial. The 4th District Court of Appeals rejected all arguments made by the attorney for forty year-old Derek Anderson, who in 2006 was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide in the death of his father, and sentenced to life in prison.
On appeal, Anderson argued that out-of-court statements from the Anderson’s mother and father to a friend and co-worker respectively should not have been admissible at trial. According to evidence presented at trial, Anderson’s mother read to her friend a letter Anderson had written that including language to the effect of: “If I ever get the money to come back to Wisconsin, I’ll do away with all of you.” Anderson’s mother, who also disappeared in the summer of 1998 along with Anderson’s father and brother, had expressed to her friend a fear for her life and family. Likewise, Anderson’s father had told a co-worker in April 1998 that his son had tried to kill him. When the co-worker asked Anderson’s father whether he’d told anyone and what he was going to do, Anderson’s father replied that at least he knew how he would die.
His attorney, Tim Provis, said Anderson will appeal the case to the state Supreme Court. Anderson’s father, his mother, his brother and the family dog all disappeared from their rural Jefferson County home over the Fourth of July weekend in 1998.
“Today’s decision affirms that Derek Anderson received a fair trial when the jury convicted him of killing his father,” said Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, whose office handled the appeal for the state. “While nothing can bring back the Krnak family, some justice has been served. The investigators and prosecutors did an extraordinary job with a case that might have remained unsolved but for their dedication.”
The remains of Anderson’s father, 55 year-old Allen Krnak, were discovered in December 1999 in North Carolina. The bodies of Anderson’s mother, Donna Krnak, and his brother, Thomas Krnak, have never been found. Prosecutors said they believed Anderson also disposed of their bodies in the same woods. Anderson changed his name from Andrew Krnak after his family disappeared.